Falling Skies: UK
by StephenMcTowelie
Summary: Great Britain has fallen, its cities occupied and its people divided. As the alien conquerors designs draw closer to completion a small band of determined fighters struggle to reunite with their loved ones and hinder the occupiers plans. Fourth and final branch of my Falling Skies AU. Rated T for language, violence and some mild sexual themes. Chapter 1 completed.
1. Chapter 1: Behind the Wall

_**Author's Note:**_ _This will be the last component to my Falling Skies remake AU. It is set in the same continuum as FS: Korea, FS: Japan and The Boston Massacre and will feature scenes linked through one of the character's relatives to show what is happening in India as well. This one begins roughly a month after the invasion as I have already covered the initial attack from three different points of view. (Korea - military with direct bombardment, Japan - civilians with indirect bombardment, Boston - both military and civilians but no bombardment) This story will probably advance quicker than Korea and Boston Massacre because it is only told from the perspective of one group, at least for the first dozen chapters or so. Later on this will merge with my other story arcs in this AU so that in the end a more global perspective emerges. As always any feedback is most appreciated._

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Chapter I: Divide and Conquer

1 Nov 1940 GMT

Near Brampton, UK

When the visitors turned hostile it did not take long for Great Britain to fall. London was occupied within twelve hours and other major cities fell soon after. Within three days all organized military resistance against the invaders had been squashed and much of the civilian population had been taken captive. Those who escaped made their way north into Scotland. For a time it had appeared they would be safe there; for whatever reason the aliens left the humans in Scotland alone. The people had prepared for and expected an attack that never came. Without fear of extermination some people began talking about a return to lower England but caution held the day and the people waited. In time the alien fighters no longer appeared in the skies over Glasgow at night thus giving rise to the rumor that the remnants of the Army and Air Force had struck back and driven the aliens off the British Isles. A sense of complacency began to take shape and the people living in Scotland began to rebuild.

It was all a ruse. While the humans in the north started settling back into normal lives the aliens had been building a wall much along the very same lines as Hadrian's Wall bisecting Britain in two. It wasn't until an expeditionary force into lower England was mustered two weeks after the retreat that the wall was even discovered by those in the north. It was incomplete but heavy alien garrisons along the gaps in the wall made any attempt to break through a futile endeavor. At that time it appeared the people who had fled north were trapped in what had seemingly been, for whatever nefarious purposes, set up as a safe zone by the aliens while those south of the wall were abandoned to their fate.

Among those hardy survivors who remained south of the Scottish Reservation, as it was called, was a group of soldiers and civilians led by Lt. General Edward Newburgh. This evening they resided in an abandoned country estate surrounded by unkempt fields sown before the war whose harvest had been left to wither in the cold autumn air. Behind them was a vast expanse of fields and woodland before one would reach the town of Brampton to the south. Ahead of them lay a river and beyond that the faint blue glimmer of the alien wall could be seen on the horizon. Overhead the twinkling lights from routine flights of small alien transport craft and fighters going north and south could be seen.

General Newburgh sat on an old rocking chair outside looking north while his people finished their dinner of cold beans in tomato sauce inside the farmhouse. He looked off into the distance towards the faint glow of the wall separating him from the majority of the island's surviving population. He wondered if they knew what was happening in the rest of the country, or the rest of the world. He wondered if they knew about the massive structure whose scaffold had been erected in London. He wondered if any of them even knew he or any of the others south of the wall existed. He had come up here hoping to find a way through to warn them of the danger they still faced and try to enlist their aid in the ongoing fight in England, a fight they were losing badly. Manpower was something the reformed Royal Military was badly in need of. General Newburgh knew of sixteen other resistance groups loosely linked together by a system of couriers and banner relays. There were about 24 people in his company which was about standard for all the other resistance cells except for the headquarters unit in the vicinity of Birmingham which had roughly 100 soldiers and 1100 civilians in their number. He had been stationed in Birmingham with that unit before he had assumed command of the northern expeditionary force on this most important assignment. While he contemplated the logistics of a foray into the north and how this would be achieved his second in command on this mission, Colour Sergeant Stephanie Curtis came out of the house and approached him. Lost in thought the gray haired soldier was surprised when she had seemingly snuck up behind him.

"Whoa, I didn't see you there." said a startled General Newburgh.

"I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean to be sneaky." Curtis apologized and stood beside him, transfixed by the same eerie glow.

"Do you have family on the other side of the wall?" Curtis asked after looking off in silence for a few minutes.

"No. My wife passed away years ago and my daughter Jenny was off on holiday when it happened." Newburgh replied rubbing his weathered chin.

"My sister Kimberly is out there. At least I hope she still is. I have no idea of what kind of awful stuff is going on behind that wall." Curtis told him.

"Don't get all worked up just yet Sergeant. It might not be that bad. We could be the ones on the foul side of the wall. It could be utterly delightful over there." General Newburgh replied.

"Utterly delightful? This is Scotland we're talking about over there." joked Stephanie.

"What's this you're saying about Scotland lass?" chimed in Peter McKeegan, a civil engineer and native of Glasgow, as he came out to stargaze with them.

The plump, bearded fiery orange haired man jovially laughed and walked over to the General and his second in command.

"Lord, I wish we could just knock that thing down." remarked McKeegan.

"We first have to get close enough to see what it is." commented Stephanie.

"Professor Singh has a few theories on how it might work." mentioned McKeegan.

The aforementioned Professor Jyothi Singh was a particle physicist from India. He had come to Oxford for a conference and was left stranded in England when the attack happened. He wasn't much of a fighter but he was very clever and his knowledge into things theoretically possible yet beyond the capability of human engineering made him a valuable asset to take along with them on this mission. He wasn't the only non-combatant among there number. Dr. Terrance Potter, a former orthopedic surgeon was their medical officer and his daughter Sherry whom he insisted remain with him at all times had come. The others, while not all former military were all fairly capable of handling a weapon and engaging in unarmed combat to some extent as well.

"We'll send a small team tomorrow at midday to investigate more closely. Something keeps telling me these spider fellows can see better in the dark." General Newburgh said.

The General stood up and yawned. "For the mean time set a watch around the environs and have everyone turn to their beds. We need to be rested and not make any mistakes when we do this." General Newburgh turned around and told the others before going inside.

McKeegan followed closely behind the General and relayed his command to those inside. Meanwhile Stephanie looked back out towards the wall as if staring off into her own future. Past the source of that glow, somewhere in the distance beyond the horizon her sister was still alive, she knew it. It had to be true, Stephanie told herself. Tomorrow would be a first step towards finding her and all the others that had been imprisoned in the north. They had to succeed in their mission, not only for her sister, but for England and for the world.

"I know you're out there Kim. We're coming for you, I promise." she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2: Breaking Through

Chapter II: Breaking Through

2 Nov 0359 GMT

Near Brampton, UK

General Newburgh was awoken by Damian Forrester, a curly haired 16 year old boy on lookout duty. The General rolled over off his bedroll and sat up rubbing his eyes and groaning.

"Sorry to wake you General but the scouts have returned and are insisting to speak with you." Forrester said.

"Give an old man five minutes to get my wits about me and I'll be right out." General Newburgh groggily replied.

Less than five minutes after Damian left the room the General came outside to meet the scouts. Their scouts had been sent along the wall in two pairs, one in each direction and returned at roughly the same time. While waiting on the General the two scouting parties had ample time to compare their findings with each other.

Each of the scouts rode horses rustled up from local farms on their trek north from lower England. While not as fast as motorized vehicles horses could operate in a much wider range of terrain and didn't produce the acoustic and heat signatures the aliens were looking for so it allowed their scouts a degree of stealth from the aerial patrols. Horses also weren't as much of a gamble to acquire. With motorcycles and other vehicles there was always the possibility they didn't run and sometimes couldn't even be repaired. They had a van in their company if they had to make a hasty retreat but for most of their operational purposes Newburgh's outfit relied on horses and horse drawn implements.

When the General came outside the scouts dismounted and one from each group approached him, leaving the other to tend to the horses.

"What do you have to report?" the General asked.

"The aliens have ground patrols on both sides of the wall operating at intervals of roughly 45 minutes. They're mostly walkers in groups of three or four, I haven't seen too many spiders though I know they're out there." one of the scout leaders said.

"Our sappers report that the wall extends about 4 feet down but we can assume that they have sensors that can reach below that. Once the sappers tried to tunnel under we had a bird inbound and they knew exactly were to strike to collapse our tunnel." the second scout leader reported.

"So that means we're going to have to go at these things above ground." Newburgh replied.

"What of the sappers? Where are they?" Newburgh asked.

"Those who weren't buried in the collapse fled to Low Row. They said they will be waiting for us there until things die down." the second scout leader reported.

"Ok. By your estimate when was the last time the patrols were furthest apart?" Newburgh asked.

The two scout leaders looked at each other, conversed amongst themselves and came back with an answer. "Twenty minutes ago seems most likely." the first replied.

"Alright then. We'll base our movements off that. Forrester, wind up that old grandfather clock in the pub and set the alarm to chime in three hours. We'll move out then." Newburgh replied.

Forrester went back inside the pub and did as he was told. Though he was awake now and rearing to go General Newburgh did not have a good feeling about attacking before dawn. He was still uncomfortable making their move in the dark where the aliens had the clear advantage even though there could be discrepancies in the scout's timing. He would send them out again before they left to make sure and they would adjust their plans accordingly.

"I want you to go to Low Row and get the sappers back here safely without being followed. I want the horses fed and ready to go for the next group I send out." Newburgh ordered the scouts.

He then went back inside after the scouts rode off. Unable to sleep he sat up in the main hall of the pub studying the map and replaying their battle plans over and over again in his mind.

When the alarm went off Newburgh sent for the company to assemble around back. Behind the building were two ponies hauling carts and six other horses making twelve total animals in their service. With the sappers back among them and only the second team of scouts still unaccounted for they numbered 19 humans, slightly more than they had steeds to ride. Each of them however was better armed than the average British conscript operating further south. They all had military grade rifles, L85A2s, L86A2s or C8s and no less than two grenades apiece. Their sharpshooter Gregory Hammond carried a .50 caliber L121A1 sniper rifle capable of penetrating the armor of standard mechs and MeKeegan carried with him a Javelin missile launcher capable of dealing damage even to the heavier "T-Rex", "Scorpion" and "Goro" style mechs. Inside the horse drawn carts were an array of mortars and shells along with several other anti-tank missiles and explosive devices intended to bring down the wall. Once they were ready to go he and Curtis addressed them while waiting on the scouts to return.

"Gentlemen. Today's the day. Today is the day we smash through the cage we have been placed into. Now I'll be frank when I tell you we're unsure if this is the side they want to keep us on or if it's on the other side. We very well could be going right along with their plans but forget all of that because we have people on that side, good people that could very well need our help, people who could take up arms with us to free our island. I'll admit I'm terrible with speeches so I'm not going to bore you with a long one. Just know that Britain is relying on you today. We will make our island whole once again!" Newburgh orated to the company receiving cheers in return.

"Calm it down men. Now to business. Based on our observations the energy field comprising the barrier is fed through a series of pylons exactly twenty meters apart. Dr. Singh believes that if we could take out just one of these pylons it would weaken the barrier measurably so that we might be able to pass through with little more than a bad sunburn but if we can take down two pylons on opposite sides of a third at approximately the same time, the resultant power surge would short out the third pylon and completely bring down the barrier between pylons one and three." Newburgh explained.

"Each of you will be divided into two groups. Once we dismount each group will approach their designated pylon and begin shelling it with mortars. No one has ever done this before so we don't exactly know if you should aim for the base or the center of the structure. You're going to have to figure that out on your own by trial and error. Those not manning the mortars will act as go betweens to coordinate the attack effort and will serve to screen you from the inevitable alien attack. Once the wall is down I want a team of fighters to be the first ones through to clear the area and make it safe for the civilians who will be next. Once the civilians are through myself and the rest of you will close up the rear. Understood?" Newburgh explained.

"Everyone to your stations and get ready to move out on my order." Newburgh dismissed them.

As the speech concluded the remaining team of scouts returned. "We've got walkers at 30 clicks to the east. Two chickens, one T-Rex." one of the scouts reported.

"And to the west?" Newburgh asked.

"Nothing sir." the second scout reported.

"Very well. Get with your combat teams. We're moving out." Newburgh said. He then passed the order on to Curtis who relayed it to the troops.

"We're going to have about thirty minutes once we get there boys so make every shot count. Let's move out!" Curtis ordered the troops.

As the fighters advanced Newburgh found Dr. Singh and the Potters leading the horse drawn carts.

"Dr. Singh, Dr. Potter I want you to stay back with the horses once we unhook the weapons carts. If we manage to break a hole through that thing I want you to come in right after us. If not and things get too bad I want you to fall back to camp on the double." Newburgh instructed them.

The two doctors nodded in concurrence. Within minutes they arrived in position at the wall. It was as the scouts had reported it. A fence comprised of pylons connected by parallel light beams with very little gap between them. The pylons were between fourteen and twenty feet high and were in the shape of the top half of a banana though the curve was not quite as pronounced. The pylons were a charred grey, almost black color with etchings and raised figures along their four surfaces. It was unclear whether these markings served a purpose or were just for decoration. The beams themselves were a pale blue color except for the bottom ones which were green then yellow. They were cylindrical in shape like the severed sections of some giant's lightsaber and those who have seen them in action could attest to the effect of contact with one of the beams was much the same as being cut by the lightsaber of an angry giant. Their approach was in the open field with little tree cover afforded to them on this side of the wall. On the northern side sparse groves existed with multicolored autumn foliage thinned out by the unseasonably cold weather they had been having lately. On the positive there were no aliens that could be seen as far as their vantage point could see. In their arrogance perhaps the aliens believed their wall was indestructible, or perhaps it was the British resistance who was arrogant in believing they could breach the wall. Either way the arrogance of one side or the other was about to be tested.

The sheets were pulled off the weapons carts and the horses were unfastened from their yokes as soldiers quickly retrieved the mortars and missile launchers and set up. The first volley was released simultaneously and the shells detonated against the skin of the pylons near the mid-section. The explosions and the concussive force that went along with them were dampened by the energy field flowing around the pylons. While merely that which was radiated away from the focused beams it was enough to protect the pylons from damage, but not completely. Small flecks of material were noticed being knocked away during the attack. The mortars readjusted and targeted the base of the pylons to much of the same effect. They struck the tops of the pylons, missing a few shots that went over the wall and exploded on the ground they hoped to claim within the hour. Still there was little difference in the damage being done. An anti-tank missile was fired into one of the pylons. It did more damage to a concentrated location than the indirect fire shells lobbed from the mortars though it did little more than knock some of the outer skin off to reveal a fine mesh of metallic strands, tightly packed coils and rods inside. It almost looked like robotic flesh in there. The mortars shifted total fire towards the west pylon while two soldiers went down with C4 charges to attempt to destroy the east pylon that way. When setting up the charges one of the soldiers had his right hand sliced off cleanly by the energy field near the pylons when it got too close. The heat vaporized the hand into ash and left the wound sealed up and fully cauterized in an instant to where the soldier didn't truly feel any pain until after he set the charge and looked down on his hand when he brought it up. The soldier screamed, more out of shock than pain as his compatriot carried him back to the front lines. The explosive charges detonated, fracturing a ring around the east pylon and leaving deep cracks in the structure. The mortars then divided up their strikes as Dr. Potter rushed to the aid of the injured fighter. There really wasn't much the doctor could do; the wound was already sealed up so he just poured water from his canteen over the burns and applied a salve from his bag then tried to calm the soldier down.

Meanwhile one by one the mortar shells crashed into the pylon. "We're not doing enough damage!" Curtis shouted back to Newburgh who was observing both groups back with the civilians and the horses.

"Keep firing! We have to break through!" Newburgh ordered.

He looked around worried that the aliens would be arriving ahead of schedule and noticed a beamer moving in from the east.

"Look alive! We've got a hawk coming in!" Newburgh shouted towards the soldiers at the front.

"I got it General!" McKeegan answered.

He shouldered his Javelin missile launcher as the beamer rapidly approached their position. McKeegan took aim; it was common knowledge now that guidance systems were useless against the alien craft. All missiles no matter how advanced were nothing more than dumb fire rockets. McKeegan had plenty of practice leading these alien drones and could consider himself a reasonable substitute for a missile guidance system. He had done this enough to rack up six confirmed fighter kills during his time with the resistance. Most soldiers would be lucky enough to get one. He knew they had freakish capabilities but he also knew how they thought, or were programmed to think so once they detected a missile launch he knew where it would go. Sure enough when he fired what seemed to be an erratic shot the beamer juked over and ran smack into the missile which struck the craft in its belly. The ship veered north as it broke apart in flames before crashing into the top of one of the pylons were it was completely ripped apart and burst open spraying searing hot fragments onto the ground north of the wall. The pylon itself was damaged, with its top removed and sparks dancing from cracks along its sides.

"Focus on the eastern pylon! We have to bring these down together!" Newburgh commanded fearing the western pylon would fail soon.

As a renewed bombardment struck the western pylon the resistance fighters soon found they were tighter up against the clock than they had thought.

"We have incoming!" shouted a soldier who spotted a team of skitters scampering quickly up from the southeast.

"Repel the attack men! Give the mortars more time!" Newburgh ordered, readying his own rifle to go into combat behind his troops.

The skitters nimbly swooped up the hill into the incoming hail of bullets from the soldiers not manning the mortar stations. The bullets nicked and pecked into the skitters, sometimes slowing them down with pops of dark red, almost black bodily fluid squirting out of the puncture wounds in their armored shells. A few lucky shots to the face and neck struck some of the skitters dead quickly while others suffered wounds to the vulnerable arm and leg joints. Hammond took precise aim and burst the skull of a skitter in the rear of the enemy formation open like a watermelon with his high caliber bullets. Hammond reloaded and blew the side of another skitter's face off as the front lines of skitters charged into the outer fringes of the human formation. With bayonets affixed the fighters went from bullets to blades to repel the thinned out squad of skitters as they struck at close range. Newburgh saw one of his men backhanded by a vicious blow from a skitter. The General turned and fired upon the skitter below it could follow up with a killing strike against the downed man. Elsewhere a skitter buried its clawed fingers into the side of the neck of a human fighter attempting to bayonet it through the jaw. Blood squirted out the jugular as the man's strength left him and the skitter soon discarded his dying husk onto the ground. At close range the humans were no match for the aliens' strength, speed and reach. A female fighter was gutted through the abdomen in front of Forrester before he too was clawed across the face. Bullets rang out, peppering the skitters at close range followed by the loud boom from a grenade. A solider had fired his under the barrel launcher at point blank range blasting both himself and the skitter which had him in its grasp into pieces scattered across the field.

As their lines weakened the mortars successfully inflicted enough damage on the east pylon to cause it to rupture at the point it was weakened by the C4 detonation earlier. With a flash and massive string of sparking arcs the pylon snapped partway off. The laser lines of the fence beams flickered and bent to follow the still operational pylon. The mortar crews split their fire soon dealing critical damage to the west pylon as well. Curtis looked back after slashing a skitter across the throat and spearing another through the eye with her bayonet prior to discharging her weapon to the head of the alien at point blank range. As the two aliens dropped dead around her she watched the pylons come tumbling down. A surge of energy ran between the center beam and its new outer members at a range of 40 meters on each side. The surge intensified along the beams as it bounced back to the center beam and destroyed it in a blinding flash of spherical electrostatic discharge. Once the ball lighting had spread out and dissipated the British resistance fighters could see their path was clear. The west mortar group packed up their mortar and along with two soldiers charged through the gap. The point guards opened fire as they crossed into Scotland taking out two skitters that came down from the trees in a poorly planned ambush. The civilians then followed on horseback leaving one steed for General Newburgh to mount. All the while the remaining soldiers fended off the remaining eight skitters amongst their ranks.

Once the civilians were clear and the humans had dropped a couple more skitters at range General Newburgh led the charge for the rest of his company to storm the breach. As he rode past the east mortar fireteam he shot a skitter twice in the side of the head, dealing fatal damage and allowing the soldier engaging it to break and flee. The rest of the team abandoned the mortar tube and followed the General through the opened section of the wall. Curtis covered his rear gunning down another skitter as she backpedaled providing cover for the stragglers to make it out of the melee. One of the skitters trying to outflank the humans was shot and fell off balance into one of the beams, instantly turning the skitter into a crispy critter. Curtis crossed through the walls and waited with General Newburgh and the rear line who were firing steady barrages back at the skitters in between having to reload to give the last of their men cover to retreat. Most of them managed to make it as the skitters were mopped up. Forrester was not one of the lucky ones however as a skitter skewered him through the back with a mortal blow and pinned him to the ground. When McKeegan blasted that skitter away it was too late, Forrester's innards had been retracted along with the skitter's hand when it fell backwards into a pile of legs and claws. Another soldier was cut down by a barrage of mech bullets as the aliens' armored patrols had just arrived. An anti-tank missile was fired into the central section of one of the standard mechs the moment it arrived on the scene, effectively destroying it. This cleared some ground momentarily for the retreat to proceed but it wasn't long enough. A horse was knocked to the ground dismounting it's rider by a quick burst of mech fire. Newburgh stopped and looked back, about to turn around to rescue the man but saw him overtaken by two skitters who ripped all four limbs and his head off of his torso and tossed the parts across the field. Newburgh galloped off at full speed seconds before a burst of mech fire pounded into the ground which he had once held. The alien patrol moved in quickly and combined with the skitters scampering after the stragglers from the British resistance forces.

The resistance fighters weren't going to hang around and engage the rest of the enemy patrol however. They had come to break through the wall not clear it of any alien presence. They were far too smart to think they stood a chance in going toe to toe with the aliens. They rode off into the north leaving the newly arrived mechs and a small band of skitters behind them. They gave chase no further than the wall. Once the aliens reached the wall they posted as a fixed guard, presumably until they could bring in their slaves to repair the damaged section the British Resistance had destroyed. The Resistance had scored a victory today but not without a noticeable cost. They lost good men and women today who had served them well since the beginning. These noble heroes were left to rot in shallow graves for no human would dare go back for the dead lest they join them. Breaking through into the north had reduced General Newburgh's numbers down to twelve. And so it goes in war; people die, and people press on. He couldn't stop to mourn their loss, he could only honor it by doing what they had set out to achieve and carry onward in their quest to liberate the North. The wall quickly faded beyond the horizon as the Resistance rode at full gallop into Scotland. Soon the General and his men would find out if their sacrifices had truly been worth it.


End file.
